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Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD)

College of Arts and Sciences

Graduates of Roosevelt's Doctor of Psychology program work in a broad array of settings and roles, including providing psychotherapy and psychological testing services in private practice, hospitals, community mental health centers, schools, university counseling centers, and VAs; developing and directing programs to support mental health and wellness; engaging in applied research and program evaluation; and teaching, education and clinical supervision.

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Location: Chicago
Start Term: Fall
Program Type: Doctorate

Based on a practitioner-scholar model, the overall goal of the PsyD program at Roosevelt University is to train clinical psychologists who are able to diagnose and treat psychological problems. We expect that 1) graduates demonstrate the requisite general knowledge and skills of intervention and assessment necessary for the ethical and competent practice of psychology; 2) students address psychological problems and disorders using critical inquiry; and 3) students engage in productive and professional relationships with others. Roosevelt University's PsyD program in Clinical Psychology is accredited by the American Psychological Association (see Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data required by the APA). Questions related to the program's accredited status should be directed to the Commission on Accreditation: Office of Program Consultation and Accreditation, American Psychological Association, 750 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002, Phone: (202) 336-5979, Email:  apaccred@apa.org.

Susan Torres-Harding
, Program Director
storresharding@roosevelt.edu
312-341-3754
Sivling Lam
, Admission Counselor
slam02@roosevelt.edu
312-281-3252
Diana Zak
, PsyD Program Assistant
dzak@roosevelt.edu
312-341-2287

What Differentiates Us

Small Class Size

Small Class Size

Our small size (20 new students admitted per year) allows for more personal contact between students and faculty and among students at all levels of the program.

An Emphasis on Scholarship

An Emphasis on Scholarship

Although we follow the practitioner-scholar model, we put relatively more emphasis on scholarship in several ways: students collaborate with faculty on research in addition to more formal work on doctoral projects, which provides opportunities for research conference presentations and publications; and students can develop their scholarship skills through teaching.

Teaching Opportunities

Teaching Opportunities

Once students have completed their master's degree requirements, they are eligible, if interested, to teach a variety of undergraduate psychology courses. Students interested in teaching take an Instructor Development course as an elective either before or concurrent with their first teaching assignment.

An Emphasis on Diversity

An Emphasis on Diversity

Diversity and multiculturalism are infused into coursework throughout the PsyD program curriculum, including in the required course, Multicultural Psychology and Psychotherapy. Our students work with individuals and families from diverse racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, linguistic, gender and sexuality, age, and religious backgrounds as well as of differing levels of physical and cognitive abilities.

Expectations & Requirements

Standards

Our program uses the American Psychological Association’s profession-wide competency model for health service psychology described in the Standards of Accreditation.

  • Research. Students engage in research and scholarship that contributes to the scientific, psychological, or professional knowledge base; and conduct, critically evaluate, and disseminate the results of this research and scholarship.  
  • Ethical and Legal Standards. Students are knowledgeable regarding the APA ethical principles, ethical codes of conducts, laws, policies, and guidelines for professional practice.  Students behave in an ethical  manner at all times in academic, research, clinical, and community settings.   
  • Individual and cultural diversity. Students reflect upon how their own identities and personal background impacts their worldview and how they interact with others.  Students also develop knowledge around culturally competent and culturally fair services with diverse individuals and groups. Awareness and knowledge around individual and cultural diversity is integrated into all aspects of their academic, research, and clinical work. 
  • Professional Values and Attitudes. In all research, academic, and clinical roles, students seek to comport themselves in a way that reflects the values and attitudes of the field of psychology. 
  • Community and Interpersonal Skills. Students engage in productive and effective interpersonal relationships with others, including peers, colleagues, supervisors, faculty, and those receiving their professional services.  They engage in effective interpersonal, verbal, nonverbal, and written communication throughout their academic and clinical work.  
  • Assessment. Students develop extensive knowledge around the science of measurement and psychometrics  of psychological assessment tools, and how to select and use psychological assessment tools effectively with those receiving psychological services.  Student interpret and effectively communicate the results of psychological assessment in an accurate and sensitive manner. 
  • Intervention. Student develop effective and productive relationships with those receiving psychological services.  An important focus is implementing evidence-based practice, or practice informed by empirical literature, knowledge of clinical theory and models, and the service recipient’s  own preferences, needs, life circumstances, and cultural backgrounds.  Also, as consistent with evidence-based practice models, students use assessment to monitor progress in therapy and guide treatment planning and clinical decision-making.
  • Supervision.  Students become knowledgeable about supervision models and practices. 
  • Consultation and interprofessional/interdisciplinary skills. Students develop knowledge regarding other professions’ roles and consultation practices to facilitate effective inter-disciplinary care that will benefit the recipients of psychological services. 

Requirements

All students must complete a minimum of 102 semester hours of graduate study plus three hours of internship credit, for a total of 105 semester hours. In addition to coursework, students must pass the comprehensive examination, complete three clinical practica (supervised clinical training in the community), complete a doctoral project, and a pre-doctoral clinical internship.

Sample Courses

  • Community Psychology and Social Justice
  • Evidence-Based Practice
  • Multicultural Psychology
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Clinical Supervision and Consultation
  • Psychodynamic Theory I and II
  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies I and II
  • Clinical Neuropsychology
  • Child and Adolescent Therapy

Please view our Program Requirements pages in the Roosevelt online graduate catalog to review comprehensive information about our program competency model and standards, admissions information and standards, all required coursework, clinical training information and expectations, information about other program requirements including doctoral project and comprehensive examination, and expectations regarding how students will progress through the program.

Also, please view our PsyD Student Manual to review program policies, student expectations, information about advisement, recommended course plans, and program resources for current students.

View Academic Catalog

Outcomes

Graduates of our program can apply to become licensed clinical psychologists after completing a post-doctoral year of supervised clinical hours, successfully passing the licensing exam and and meeting relevant state-level requirements.

Psychotherapy

Graduates may provide psychotherapy and psychological testing services in private practice, hospitals, community mental health centers, schools, university counseling centers, and VAs.

Program Development and Research

Graduates may work toward developing and directing programs to support mental health and wellness, or engage in applied research and program evaluation.

Education

Graduates may engage in teaching, education and clinical supervision.

More Opportunities

Graduate Scholarships

We offer graduate scholarships to all qualified applicants who have an outstanding academic record. For questions regarding the Graduate Scholarship, please contact our Office of Admission at 1-877-ApplyRU.

Graduate Assistantship Program

Graduate assistants are students appointed to various positions in the University and have various responsibilities depending on placement. Graduate assistants are expected to work up to 17 hours per week in their position. The Graduate Assistantship provides tuition for up to 18 semester hours per academic year (36-hour maximum) including the summer semester, as well as a full-time stipend ($5,200) for fall and spring semesters. Typically, there are 10 half-time Graduate Assistantship positions available to first year PsyD students, which provides for a half-tuition waiver in the fall and spring semesters of their first year and a half-stipend ($2,600) in the fall and spring semesters of their first year. As part of the half-time Graduate Assistantship positions, students are expected to work 9 hours per week. Students who are accepted into the PsyD program are automatically considered for these graduate assistantship positions.

Work Study

Work study is also available for graduate students at Roosevelt University. Students' eligibility is determined after the submission of the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA®). If eligible, students may work part-time in various positions throughout the university for up to $3,500 per academic year.

Teaching Opportunities

Interested and qualified students, after completing a master's degree, may teach undergraduate psychology courses with the guidance of the Instructor Development course.

St. Clair Drake Center

Several of our faculty are affiliated with the St. Clair Drake Center, a multidisciplinary university center that seeks to support scholarship into African and African-American Studies across disciplines. 

Financial Aid

Roosevelt University offers graduate students scholarships, assistantships, and work study opportunities. Our students have also received financial awards from the Illinois Consortium for Educational Opportunities Program (ICEOP).

Emphases in Child and Family and in Neuropsychology

Within our program, we also offer students the opportunity to gain advanced training and specialized experiences in the areas of neuropsychology and clinical child and family.  Within the neuropsychology emphasis, students can take advanced coursework in clinical neuropsychology and neuropsychological assessment, complete their practicum experiences at sites emphasizing neuropsychological training, and participate in research and complete their doctoral project on a topic relevant to neuropsychology.  Additionally, we offer an emphasis in child and family, with opportunities to take advanced coursework in child and family psychotherapy and child psychopathology, complete their practicum training in sites that serve children, adolescents or families in multiple settings (schools, outpatient clinics, hospitals, community mental health centers), and participate in child and adolescent-focused research or complete their dissertation on a child and adolescent-related topic.

Students who complete at least three clinical child courses and obtain at least one year of child, adolescent, and family clinical training can apply for recognition of their expertise in clinical child and family through participation in the Clinical Child and Family Graduate Concentration.

Testimonials

What I appreciated most about Roosevelt's PsyD program was its emphasis on the importance of social justice and multicultural sensitivity. I learned more about diversity issues through important dialogues with professors and peers, getting involved with research, and the many opportunities in Chicago to work with a diverse range of clients. Being an advocate for social justice has become an integral part of who I am as a person and clinician, and Roosevelt's PsyD program laid the groundwork for that.

Diane Jung Gallo - PsyD '16

"Roosevelt University is exceptional in a variety of ways, but I want to focus on two particular aspects: its commitment to social justice and its training in supervision. Regarding social justice, you feel it in the readings you do for class, the discussions you have outside of class, and in the support you feel as you learn to incorporate it into your clinical practice. Roosevelt imbued both the spirit and the skills of social justice onto me and I have incorporated it into both my professional and private life. I am forever changed. Regarding supervision skill development, the program encourages informal peer supervision in class and provides solid coursework that prepares you to be intentional and deliberate in the way that you shape your trainee's education. Classwork taught me that clinical and supervisory skills can overlap but they are ultimately distinct. I can say I have grown not only as a clinician and scholar, but also as a person and I can trace it directly back to my Roosevelt education."

Pamela Handelsman - PsyD '16
Doctor of Psychology,

The quality of our students and of our PsyD Program is clearly indicated by our continued success in the national internship match. The students of Roosevelt’s PsyD Program continue to excel in achieving a 100 percent match rate for the past eight consecutive years. We are particularly proud of the diversity of internship site placements across the nation, and also the placements at highly-competitive sites within Chicago.

Patti Kimbel
Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of Training,
View profile
Admission

Frequently Asked Questions

Be sure to visit our Frequently Asked Questions page which contains comprehensive information about the application process and financial aid options.

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  • Online Application
  • $40 Application Fee
  • Official transcripts from all previously attended colleges/universities within the United States. Coursework completed outside the U.S. requires a Foreign Credential Evaluation to be submitted.
  • Resume/curriculum vitae
  • Letter of Intent outlining your personal and professional goals, why you are interested in this program, and how it will help you achieve your goals
  • Official GRE scores
  • Three letters of recommendation 
  • English Language Proficiency: All international students and individuals who completed a degree program outside the United States are required to meet this requirement.
  • Application deadline is December 15.
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